Danish 3D printer maker Cobod and Technical University (TU) Braunschweig have unveiled a construction robot that prints concrete and sprays shotcrete with a robotic arm.
The arm can also sand surfaces, install insulation, and lay concrete blocks, bricks and other components with a vertical range of 3m.
Its developers say the robot can make complex structures like tunnels, swimming pools and retaining walls.
Professor Harald Kloft at the university’s Institute for Structural Design, said: “3D printing enables automated, digitally controlled processes of simple as well as very complex tasks, like the fabrication of reinforced double curved walls.
“The ability to make complex, individualised, material efficient and low waste construction solutions makes 3D printing ideal for the construction industry, as it brings together economic, environmental and social aspects, such as the reduction of physical stress.”
The robot will undergo real-world testing in collaboration with TU Braunschweig.
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